Moutet beats cramps and Humbert in 3-hour Lyon epic on injury return

Three hours, 21 minutes and a deciding tie-break

Corentin Moutet's first match in two months turned into the longest night of the week so far in Lyon. The French left-hander beat compatriot Ugo Humbert 6-2, 6-7(5), 7-6(4) on Tuesday in the first round of the ATP 250 Grand Prix Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, closing out an all-left-handed, all-French duel after three hours and 21 minutes.

Moutet, ranked No. 94 in the ATP Rankings, had not competed since retiring from his opening match at the US Open in August with a wrist injury. He looked sharp from the start, running away with the opening set, before Humbert, the seventh seed, levelled in a second-set tie-break. The decider went the distance. Moutet struggled with cramps and took a medical timeout during the third set, and Humbert moved 2-0 ahead in the final tie-break, but Moutet then won seven of the last nine points to seal it.

The numbers explain how he survived. According to Eurosport, Moutet saved ten of the twelve break points he faced, while Humbert committed 66 unforced errors, more than double Moutet's 28. French outlet TennisActu noted it was Moutet's third straight win over Humbert. The ATP billed the 28-year-old Humbert as a two-time champion of the event, which makes this one of the biggest upsets of the opening round at the Lyon tournament.

"I wanted to give 200 per cent"

Moutet said his time away was the reason he fought so hard. "I just played with my heart. I tried to give everything I had," he told the ATP after the match. "I missed the competition so much that I didn't want to give 99 per cent. I wanted to give 200 per cent, because I'm so glad to be on the court today."

His reward is another all-French match. In the second round he meets 20-year-old Félix Balshaw, ranked No. 186, who earned his first tour-level win by beating Portugal's Jaime Faria 6-2, 4-6, 6-3. Because the draw throws two Frenchmen together, a French player is guaranteed a place in the quarter-finals.

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Seven home players into the last 16

Moutet's win was part of a strong opening round for the home nation, with seven French players into the round of 16. Qualifier Kyrian Jacquet knocked out Matteo Berrettini 7-6(4), 7-5. Benjamin Bonzi beat Cameron Norrie 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 and now faces fourth seed Tommy Paul. Luca Van Assche beat qualifier Clément Tabur 7-6(3), 6-3 and moves on to a meeting with third seed Valentin Vacherot.

Pierre-Hugues Herbert had the other big French story of the day. The qualifier beat Sebastián Báez 6-3, 6-4, his first ATP Tour win since June 2025, and his reward is a match against second seed Taylor Fritz. Teenager Moïse Kouamé, who beat Lorenzo Sonego on Monday, is also still in the draw ahead of his meeting with sixth seed Lorenzo Musetti.

Not everything went France's way. Titouan Droguet lost 5-7, 7-6(4), 7-6(3) to Germany's Daniel Altmaier in another tight match. Even so, home players now hold seven of the 16 places left in Lyon. For Moutet, the bigger challenge is physical: after three hours and 21 minutes, with cramps and a wrist he had just nursed back to health, he has to recover in time for Balshaw.